August 31, 1877This was an exciting day in the towns of Billerica and Bedford, Massachusetts. People from near and far travelled to these rural communities to witness the opening of "America's First Two-Foot Gauge Common-Carrier Railway". The B&B was a novel engineering concept --one that promised to solve a local transportation problem and to do so relatively cheaply. However, traffic was insufficient, and the line failed. The 2 ft equipment was sold to the new Sandy River Railroad near Rangely, Maine. The Boston & Lowell Railroad in 1885 opened a standard-gauge extension of its Lexington Branch over the former B&B roadbed, which lasted until 1962. The 2 ft Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad is still operating today.[www.bedforddepot.org]